The ministry of finance recently reported to the prime minister and deputy prime minister on the results of an inspection into the contractor selection process for the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway project section passing through Binh Phuoc province, now part of Dong Nai province. This is the ministry's second report on this matter. Previously, deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha requested the ministry to review and report on the contractor selection process due to insufficient information.
Based on the inspection results, the ministry of finance recommends that the government direct Dong Nai province to review and re-evaluate the entire contractor selection process and address any shortcomings or errors. If necessary, the province should select another consulting firm with the appropriate expertise and experience to carry out this review.
After re-evaluating the electronic bidding documents, two scenarios are possible.
In the first scenario, if the re-evaluation changes the recommended winning bidder or if none of the bidders meet the requirements, the authorized person will declare the "bidding results invalid". The province must also investigate and address any violations by organizations or individuals. Based on this, the investor will either cancel the bid and re-tender the project or approve the revised selection results.
In the second scenario, if the re-evaluation does not change the winning bidder, the investor should promptly finalize and sign the contract with the selected contractor.
The ministry of finance emphasized that in all cases, the selected contractor must meet requirements regarding capacity, experience, technical solutions, financial standing, quality, and project schedule. They must also ensure there is no loss, waste, or negativity.
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Rendering of the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway passing through Binh Phuoc. Photo: Investor |
Rendering of the Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway passing through Binh Phuoc. Photo: Investor
The ministry reiterated that Dong Nai province is fully responsible for the contractor selection, adhering to the principle of local decision-making and responsibility as directed by deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha.
If needed, Dong Nai province should consult with the ministry of construction and other relevant ministries to determine the necessity and legality of technical safety and environmental protection inspection documents or certification for construction machinery and equipment, according to the ministry of finance.
The ministry also requested the province to address the petition from Son Hai contractor in a lawful and objective manner, preventing prolonged complaints.
The 7 km section of the expressway through the former Binh Phuoc province (now Dong Nai) is part of a component project with a total investment of nearly 1,500 billion VND. This section has an estimated cost of over 880 billion VND. After the announcement of the contractor selection results, Son Hai Group, one of the four bidders that was eliminated, filed a petition requesting a review.
The ministry of finance was assigned to lead the inspection of the contractor selection process. However, the ministry's report submitted on 19/6 was considered late and inadequate.
In this report, the ministry of finance explained why it did not provide specific conclusions after the previous inspection. According to the ministry, deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha directed the establishment of a joint task force between the ministry of finance and the ministry of construction to inspect the contractor selection, based on the principles of fairness, efficiency, and clear decentralization to localities. Therefore, the ministry of finance did not provide specific conclusions but only reflected the existing issues for the locality to consider, decide, and take responsibility, in accordance with the bidding law.
Furthermore, due to the short timeframe, the task force worked for two days in Binh Phuoc (now Dong Nai). However, this is a large and complex project with numerous bidders and a substantial amount of documentation, so the inspection focused on key contents of the bidding documents and evaluation results directly related to the contractor's petition.
"The task force needs more time to consult with specialized management agencies, especially regarding registration and inspection of construction equipment, therefore the deadline for reporting to the prime minister was not met," the ministry of finance added.
The Ho Chi Minh City - Thu Dau Mot - Chon Thanh expressway is almost 69 km long, with the majority (about 53 km) passing through Binh Duong province, about 7 km through the former Binh Phuoc province (now Dong Nai), and the starting point in Ho Chi Minh City has not yet been implemented. The expressway will shorten travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Phuoc compared to the current 120 km route on national highway 13.
The section through the former Binh Phuoc province began construction in 12/2024, while the Binh Duong section started in 2/2025.
Phuong Dung
